ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is a film I'd always missed watching as it stands separately from the rest of the crowd. I'd caught all of the Connery and Moore films but never had a chance to sit through this one before. I wasn't exactly thrilled to watch it – after all, it did get panned for a reason – but I found it a fairly amiable outing for the secret agent, and probably better than Connery's THUNDERBALL and DR. NO, at least.
There are quite a few things going for this film. The cast, for one, is good. Lazenby usually makes the list of everyone's worst Bonds and it's fair to say that he'd had no acting experience before this; despite this, the male model comes good. He's not my favourite Bond but I'd put him just behind Connery and I much prefer him to the slimy Pierce Brosnan. The regulars all make fun appearances but OHMSS also deserves kudos for the casting of the best Bond girl of all time in Diana Rigg, fresh from her stint on THE AVENGERS. Rigg is every spy's dream: a madly attractive woman with plenty of intelligence and also spirit, as she reveals in the climax when she tackles a thug. The fact that Bond actually marries her shows that she's a cut above the usual blonde bimbos and I loved every minute of her. Funnily enough, I'd never understood the fuss about Rigg until I saw this film but now I'm a big fan. The final casting coup is Telly Savalas as the villain, Blofeld. Savalas is one of those larger-than-life actors who seems to dominate every film he's in, and I've never disliked him in a role yet. Whether playing a pervert in THE DIRTY DOZEN, a Cossack in HORROR EXPRESS, or Blofeld in this, he's been fantastic and lights up the screen no end.
The movie also benefits from some decent, fast-paced action scenes and genuinely funny humour. This was the first time Bond went skiing and his antics on the slopes easily beat those of Moore. The snowbound locales make for plenty of inventively staged set pieces, like the car chase taking place in a stock car race or the high-rise antics around a cable car. Blofeld's plot to use biological warfare around the world is slightly cheesy, like something I'd expect from an Italian spy film rather than a big budget Bond flick. It's little more than an excuse to include loads of glamorous women including Joanna Lumley (!).
However, the main problem with this film is the poor pacing. It's one of the longest Bond films ever and it shows. While the action is decent, the scenes come few and far between and barely anything happens in the first hour and a half. This makes at least half of the film slightly boring which is why it was panned when it came out, although some fans do appreciate it these days. I didn't mind it, and for what it's worth I enjoyed everything up on screen, especially when it finally starts kicking off in the second half.
There are quite a few things going for this film. The cast, for one, is good. Lazenby usually makes the list of everyone's worst Bonds and it's fair to say that he'd had no acting experience before this; despite this, the male model comes good. He's not my favourite Bond but I'd put him just behind Connery and I much prefer him to the slimy Pierce Brosnan. The regulars all make fun appearances but OHMSS also deserves kudos for the casting of the best Bond girl of all time in Diana Rigg, fresh from her stint on THE AVENGERS. Rigg is every spy's dream: a madly attractive woman with plenty of intelligence and also spirit, as she reveals in the climax when she tackles a thug. The fact that Bond actually marries her shows that she's a cut above the usual blonde bimbos and I loved every minute of her. Funnily enough, I'd never understood the fuss about Rigg until I saw this film but now I'm a big fan. The final casting coup is Telly Savalas as the villain, Blofeld. Savalas is one of those larger-than-life actors who seems to dominate every film he's in, and I've never disliked him in a role yet. Whether playing a pervert in THE DIRTY DOZEN, a Cossack in HORROR EXPRESS, or Blofeld in this, he's been fantastic and lights up the screen no end.
The movie also benefits from some decent, fast-paced action scenes and genuinely funny humour. This was the first time Bond went skiing and his antics on the slopes easily beat those of Moore. The snowbound locales make for plenty of inventively staged set pieces, like the car chase taking place in a stock car race or the high-rise antics around a cable car. Blofeld's plot to use biological warfare around the world is slightly cheesy, like something I'd expect from an Italian spy film rather than a big budget Bond flick. It's little more than an excuse to include loads of glamorous women including Joanna Lumley (!).
However, the main problem with this film is the poor pacing. It's one of the longest Bond films ever and it shows. While the action is decent, the scenes come few and far between and barely anything happens in the first hour and a half. This makes at least half of the film slightly boring which is why it was panned when it came out, although some fans do appreciate it these days. I didn't mind it, and for what it's worth I enjoyed everything up on screen, especially when it finally starts kicking off in the second half.